d dissolved within them the whole
moral man, so that they were ready to concrete in the first offered
mould of baseness now; rotted down from manhood by their hopeless misery
on the isle; wonted to cringe in all things to their lord, himself the
worst of slaves; these wretches were now become wholly corrupted to his
hands. He used them as creatures of an inferior race; in short, he
gaffles his four animals, and makes murderers of them; out of cowards
fitly manufacturing bravos.

Now, sword or dagger, human arms are but artificial claws and fangs,
tied on like false spurs to the fighting cock. So, we repeat, Oberlus,
czar of the isle, gaffles his four subjects; that is, with intent of
glory, puts four rusty cutlasses into their hands. Like any other
autocrat, he had a noble army now.

It might be thought a servile war would hereupon ensue. Arms in the
hands of trodden slaves? how indiscreet of Emperor Oberlus! Nay, they
had but cutlasses--sad old scythes enough--he a blunderbuss, which by
its blind scatterings of all sorts of boulders, clinkers, and other
scoria would annihilate all four mutineers, like four pigeons at one
shot. Besides, at first he did not sleep in his accustomed hut; every
lurid sunset, for a time, he might have been seen wending his way among
the riven mountains, there to secrete himself till dawn in some
sulphurous pitfall, undiscoverable to his gang; but finding this at last
too troublesome, he now each evening tied his slaves hand and foot, hid
the cutlasses, and thrusting them into his barracks, shut to the door,
and lying down before it, beneath a rude shed lately added, slept out
the night, blunderbuss in hand.

It is supposed that not content with daily parading over a cindery
solitude at the head of his fine army, Oberlus now meditated the most
active mischief; his probable object being to surprise some passing ship
touching at his dominions, massacre the crew, and run away with her to
parts unknown. While these plans were simmering in his head, two ships
touch in company at the isle, on the opposite side to his; when his
designs undergo a sudden change.

The ships are in want of vegetables, which Oberlus promises in great
abundance, provided they send their boats round to his landing, so that
the crews may bring the vegetables from his garden; informing the two
captains, at the same time, that his rascals--slaves and soldiers--had
become so abominably lazy and good-for-nothing of late, th